Statement from Minister Blaney on the Coming Into Force of the Firearms Amnesty

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 14, 2014) - The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today issued the following statement:

"Our Government has always stood up for law-abiding hunters, farmers and sport-shooters.

Recent decisions made by the Canadian Firearms Program have had the effect of exposing thousands of law-abiding Canadians to potential criminal sanctions. Owners of the affected firearms can rest assured that they will face no sanctions as a result of the continued possession of their private property.

Furthermore, our Government is committed to building on the amnesty that has been introduced to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal sanction until a permanent fix is in place. It is our intention to bring forward measures in the coming weeks to protect all law-abiding firearms owners from these types of retroactive and unpredictable decisions."